Following the drop in number of Indians coming to the UK to study since the past eight years, a UK Parliamentary body has released a report where it recommended the introduction of post-study work visas as one of the many ways to remedy the situation.

In the report, the All Party Parliamentary Group, APPG for short, concluded that the UK needs to be “Clear and ambitious” in its bid to establish growth in India as well as revive the interest of international students from India in choosing British universities as their study destination. India by the way, happens to be the UK’s seventh-largest market for exportation.

What led to the decline?

According to the report, the influx of international students into the UK who are from major markets especially, India, dropped by half when the post-study visa was withdrawn.

In addition, India was not included in the recently updated list of countries considered as low-risk countries regarding simplified visa applications for students.

Placing countries under categories of low or high risk, creates an impression of an unfriendly environment for these international students in the UK. The situation with India is a glaring confirmation of this fact. The report therefore recommends that all risk assessments be based on individuals and not an entire country.

The APPG, in their report, recommended 12 solutions that will reverse the damage done within the eight years of the UK’s competitive decline and bring it back among other top study destinations.

The report recommends that the UK not only make the post-study program attractive by allowing students work for two more years in the UK after completing their program, but should come up with immigration rules that will encourage and attract international students to apply to study at different levels in British universities.

A co-chairman of the APPG, Lord Karan Bilimoria added that Canada attracts more international students than the UK, so it was pertinent that the government took the recommendations in the report seriously. In the report, were recommendations also for institutions of higher learning in the UK to follow to aid the government in solving the matter.

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